Franklin purse-snatcher shows up at victim’s home

After stealing her purse at a grocery store, the suspect showed up at victim’s home and stole her SUV, which he drove through the garage door.

Authorities are looking for a man who stole a Franklin woman’s purse on Friday, then went to her home later that day and stole her SUV.
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FRANKLIN (Somerset) – Police are looking for a man who stole a woman’s purse and, less than five hours later, went to her home and stole her sport-utility vehicle, backing it through a closed garage door.

A 58-year-old woman was leaving a supermarket at Somerset Plaza near Route 27 and Stewart Avenue about 5:37 p.m. Friday when her purse was snatched, Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said.

The suspect is described as a thin male in his late teens to early 20s wearing black pants and a light blue T-shirt, Soriano said. He left the supermarket on a dark-colored bicycle.

The woman went home and made arrangements to have the locks on her doors changed in her Timber Hill Drive home, Soriano said.

At 11:15 p.m. Friday, the woman’s 32-year-old son, who was visiting, went outside the home through a garage door to get something from his vehicle, Soriano said.

The son was confronted by a man who matched the description of the purse snatcher and was riding a dark-colored bicycle. The suspect was wearing a tan long-sleeved jacket and a tan mask over his face, Soriano said.

The suspect hit the son in the head and body with a blunt object, Soriano said. The son ran back inside the house and the mother screamed after seeing her son’s injuries and the suspect started to leave on his bicycle.

But the suspect returned, kicked in a garage door panel and got in a burgundy 2011 Acura RDX with the license plate ZWN-11T, Soriano said.

The suspect then backed the SUV through the closed garage door. He stopped, picked up the bicycle and placed it in the SUV, Soriano said.

The son was taken to an area hospital where he was treated for his injuries and released. The SUV should have extensive damage to its roof and rear, Soriano said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100, the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-2300, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE.” All calls will be kept confidential.